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Glite Dictionary
mating season

mating season

5 3.2
A time of year when animals come together to mate and have babies
  • noun
  • /ˈmeɪtɪŋ ˈsiːzən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : temporada de apareamiento
  • Many birds engage in elaborate displays to attract mates during mating season.
  • the beginning of mating season
  • the start of mating season
  • late mating season

But Chloe, they're in Mexico and it's mating season for humpback whales.

Examples

  • During the August-to-February mating season, groups of between five and fifteen males gather every morning and afternoon at special sites called leks, each of which typically covers about 4.5 acres.

    Academic text (2010)

  • But Chloe, they're in Mexico and it's mating season for humpback whales.

    JUST TRISH PODCAST

  • We're in the middle of mating season.

    The Beach Bum (2019)

  • Is it their mating season?

    Fiction book (2000)

  • It's their mating season, and they can get rather hostile.

    Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

  • A buck can lose 30% of its weight during mating season, chasing does around.

    Split (2017)

  • It must be mating season.

    Howard the Duck (1986)

  • It's prime mating season.

    The Beach Bum (2019)

  • Basenjis are affectionate, especially with children, and generally remain quiet, except during the mating season, when they engage in continuous howling.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The white rhinos are very placid (except in the mating season or with a very young calf) and are easy to approach.

    Academic text (2003)

Synonyms

breeding season
vsmating season
4 3.3

A time of year when animals mate and have young

is broader and does not stress timing for one species or the best conditions

Surface Forms

mating season singular
mating seasons plural

Morphology

mating + season

The compound 'mating season' is directly and transparently derived from 'mating' (pairing for reproduction) + 'season' (a period), so its meaning 'the time of year when animals come together to mate' is predictable. This simple, compositional noun–noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and should be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Mating season is the time of year when animals come together to find a partner; mating means trying to pair up and season means a time of year. During this time animals often sing, show bright colors, or fight to attract mates, so the phrase means the period animals use 'to mate' and 'have babies'.